Jan 24 2018: The Money Question

From my experience in counseling and consulting, when people are setting goals for the year, 70% of what they write has financial implications. It is neither good nor bad. In essence, money is important. It is important to you, to the countries of the world and to your neighbour.

You actually need money to fund a thing or two, hence the need for more of it. The elephant in the room is “how much more?” That is the money question.

Before we go on, we need to know what money is and the concept behind it. Without defining a thing, you are bound to use it for what it is not meant for. That is called “abuse”. Abuse =Abnormal Use.

Money is a means of exchange. You give it to whosoever has what you require; your landlord because you need a house to live in, grocery seller because you need the groceries, charity because they are solving a problem you are passionate about.

image: widewallpapers

Money is one of the most powerful concepts invented. It helps us to trade what we have and then use the proceeds to obtain what we need. It is a reward of having a special set of skills and using those skills to deliver service. The more problems you solve, the more money you make. We are moving but ……slowly.

Even if you don’t know what to use money for, when you bills start stalking you, you will then have an idea. It is ok to want more money. Again, like every other thing, the “why” of wanting more will be the most important question to answer.

A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry; but money answereth all things — Solomon

Solomon, said to be the richest man who ever lived, made the quote above. He also wrote this in the books of Ecclesiastes, which he must have written primarily as a book of observations, deductions and inference. Basically, it was written to talk about life as things happened “under the sun” - obviously saying, let me observe life without the interference of God.

In essence he said, feasts are made for laughter, wine to make merry, but by human inventions, money was made to answer all things. Meaning, under the sun, without need for miracles or supernatural intervention, money is the answer for everything.

That is how powerful money is on the face of the earth. Therefore if you had it as 70% of your goals for 2018, you now know why.

Let’s take a deeper dive into money; what it is and what it is not.

Money is a Tool

Money is meant to do something just like any other tool. A spoon is for eating; it also has ornamental value, but the primary use of a spoon is to aid feeding. Same for money. It is for solving problems. Not all problems can be solved by it, but most issues can be resolved, such as rent, school fees, child upkeep, mobility etc.

Image: tsishipping

When you see money as a tool, then you will treat it as you treat other tools. You will have the right perspective about it. You will not make it a goal because making it a goal is like chasing the wind.

Money Helps You Live A Life Of Contribution

Money as a tool helps you get things done; it helps you live a life of contribution. That means you can use it to support the things that are dear to you. You want to stop teenage pregnancy, then you support the organization that is focusing on that. You join the fight against cancer, then you support whoever is working on its eradication. You want all the kids in your neighbourhood to be in school, then you partner with those whose passion align with yours, and so on.

Money enables you to have a say in the things that are important to you. You may not have the time and energy to chase those things, but you can support with your resources, and join your voice with theirs.

Money is Amoral

Money is not good or bad. It is apolitical. Money always takes the character of its owner. Money has no affiliation. The Bible talks about “the love of money” as being at the root of evil. That’s a story for anther day. Money is neither a master or a servant. You, the owner decides, which one you want it to be.

Money Allows Us Know You

It is very easy to know what is important to you by seeing what you use bulk of your money for. You will spend your money on the things you are passionate about. A researcher will get more books, a computer geek will buy more computers and gadgets, and so on.

You will always Have A Relationship With Money

Acquaint thyself to that. As long as you are exist, you have a relationship with money. You cannot outgrow it. So, the earlier you define the relationship, the better you will handle it. In fact, even when you are no more here that relationship persists; either in the form of bills you left unpaid that will haunt your family or a will to distribute your assets.

Someone Will Always Have More/Less Of It Than You

Factoid fact. No explanation required.

Let Money Be Money

Having less or more money does not mean anything. Don’t read too much meaning into your bank statement. Those things increase or decrease at random. One mistake can wipe you out. One big break can increase the zeros behind the digit. What you do after both events is what matters. Who you are before and after the events is what really counts. Don’t think of yourself too lowly or highly. Let money be money.

Financial peace isn’t the acquisition of stuff. It’s learning to live on less than you make, so you can give money back and have money to invest. You can’t win until you do this. — Dave Ramsey

If you enjoyed this article, please share it. Feel free to leave a comment below.